Why is Thanksgiving the Cause of So Many Plumbing &amp; Drain Problems?

This entry was posted by Walter Moore on December 31, 2016 at 9:58 am

It happens like clockwork every year, the week of Thanksgiving rolls around and the phone starts ringing at Roto-Rooter. Early in the week, a significant number of homeowners expecting guests have the foresight to call a plumber to deal with their slow drains because they can sense trouble waiting to happen. These are the wisest homeowners who’ve possibly experienced ill-timed sewer clogs in the past and don’t want to chance another clog when they have a house full of holiday guests.

Thanksgiving Day tends to be fairly quiet at Roto-Rooter. The number of calls is below normal but we keep enough plumbers on standby to handle the few service calls that do come in. We know from experience that most of the clogs actually occur on Thanksgiving but most homeowners dread the thought of calling a plumber on a holiday because they fear having to pay outrageous holiday service charges. So instead of dealing with the issue, they suffer through it and call us on Friday. In fact, many, if not most Roto-Rooter locations do not charge extra for service calls at night, on weekends or holidays. So if you’re experiencing a clog, why not call us for help? If extra charges are a concern, simply ask the local office if they charge extra for a Thanksgiving service call. They’ll tell you upfront so you can decide whether to delay service until Friday.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday” in retail circles but it is “Brown Friday” for plumbers. It really is the busiest day of the year for Roto-Rooter, whose 7000 service technicians and plumbers across the country will be on the job and battling America’s clogs.

To help you learn how to avoid Thanksgiving clogs, we created this entertaining and informative dramatic video. And if you want even more detailed tips and information, watch this video.

The major types of clogs we see at Roto-Rooter around Thanksgiving are (in ranking order):

Learn what not to put down a garbage disposal. And to learn how to manage most kitchen sink and garbage disposal clogs, click here. And if you’ve tried everything and it’s time to call in a professional to resolve your sewer and drain problems, schedule service online or call 1-800-GET-ROTO.